title: A culturally appropriate diet and lifestyle intervention can successfully treat the components of metabolic syndrome in female Pakistani immigrants residing in Melbourne, Australia.
abstract: This study was designed to test the effectiveness of a culturally appropriate diet and lifestyle intervention to treat metabolic syndrome in female Pakistani immigrants residing in Melbourne, Australia. Forty Pakistani women with metabolic syndrome (aged 20-50 years) completed a 12-week culturally appropriate diet and exercise program. Results indicate that, before intervention, participants were sedentary, taking 4000 +/- 22.6 steps per day, and had an obese-classified body mass index (BMI) of 29.2 +/- 0.46 kg/m(2) (BMI was categorized in accordance with guidelines specifically designed for Asians) and high waist circumference of 132 +/- 25.95 cm. Participants were hypertensive (systolic, 135 +/- 1.3 mm Hg; diastolic, 86 +/- 0.68 mm Hg), were dyslipidemic (total cholesterol, 6.8 +/- 0.15 mmol/L; triglycerides, 2.9 +/- 0.09 mmol/L), and had elevated blood glucose (6.4 +/- 0.33 mmol/L) and fasting blood insulin (45 +/- 6.3 microU/mL) levels. After the 12-week culturally appropriate intervention, activity increased (8600 +/- 596.7 steps per day, P < .05); and BMI (27.8 +/- 0.45 kg/m(2)), blood pressure (systolic, 125 +/- 1.4 mm Hg; diastolic, 80 +/- 0.6 mm Hg), cholesterol (5.5 +/- 0.1 mmol/L), blood glucose (5.9 +/- 0.33 mmol/L), and blood insulin (24.14 +/- 1.8 microU/mL) levels were all significantly reduced (P < .05). This study revealed that the Pakistani female migrants who had metabolic syndrome and its components can successfully be treated via a culturally appropriate diet and lifestyle intervention. The success of the current program raises the possibility that other high-risk ethnic groups can also be treated with a culturally appropriate program.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria 8001, Australia.
authors.forename: Rizwana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kousar
authors.forename: Cate
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lewandowski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003469:Culture; D004032:Diet; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008019:Life Style; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000208:ethnology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D002784:Cholesterol